Friday, August 26, 2011

His Name Is Moog Joogular

I've been fairly remiss in posting lately. Work has been getting steadily worse, and I just don't have the energy to spend on being creative and interesting.

However, it's not all gloom and doom. This week saw the release of release of Kagan McLeod's utterly amazing Infinite Kung Fu in 450+ page collected form. Originally self-published in a limited run, it is, simply, the GREATEST KUNG FU COMIC EVER MADE.

(I do not exaggerate. I have read every issue of "Iron Fist", "Power Man and Iron Fist," and "Master of Kung Fu" ever published and not even their combined power can equal the sheer magnitude of a single chapter of Infinite Kung Fu.)

How to describe this comic? Well, first off, it's beautifully illustrated. McLeod is an award-winning graphic artist whose work appears in glossy magazines you see in supermarkets, doctors' offices, and hair salons. IKF is rendered in gorgeous black and white art that evokes classic Chinese brush paintings, manga, and (for lack of a better artistic reference) "The Venture Bros." Yeah, it's weird, I suppose, but it's a unique artistic "voice" and it works spectacularly.

Then there's the story. It's one part post-apocalyptic zombie horror, four parts Shaw Brothers martial arts extravaganza and about a dram of the finest Blaxploitation ever decanted from the private stock of Melvin Van Peebles. The world is out of balance. The dead refuse to enter the cycle of reincarnation and would rather occupy a freshly dead corpse than run the risk of coming back as a cockroach. The Eight Immortals have nearly failed, as one of their students is dead, and five have been corrupted, wielding Poison Kung Fu with horrid efficacy. Only Lei Kung, a most unlikely student with the help of the one remaining uncorrupted student (more about him in a moment) stands even a chance of making things right. But what is right?

The whole thing is a love letter to all that is wonderful about old school kung fu cinema. It's even got a forward by Gordon Lau. If that fact means anything to you, GO PICK UP THIS BOOK.

Oh, that last uncorrupted student? That would be this righteous dude. Master Moog Joogular. He's the ass-kicking mayor of Funkytown, brothers and sisters.

Seriously, if this sounds at all like your thing but you're still unsold, you can check out the first 200 pages for free here.